Indigenous rights lawyer urges solidarity over climate change

Pacific Island peoples could be "early reclaimers" of a
zero-emissions lifestyle, while also urging the
international community to take "extreme" mitigation
measures, says Dayle Takitimu.

In her keynote address to
the ‘In the Eye of the Storm’ Pacific climate change
conference, the indigenous rights and environmental lawyer
said she had planned to discuss facts, figures and the
details of international agreements, but had torn up her
speech after attending the conference’s first
day.

Instead, she said: “What I want to offer you today
is a part of me, and a part of my truth.”

Arguments
about climate change were often too technical and neglected
the basic “truths” surrounding the issue, Takitimu
added. “Before we run to textbooks and graphs, it’s
about being in touch with what we know, and being in touch
with our ways of knowing.” Appreciating these truths, in
particular the danger of a reckless disregard for the
planet, was needed before serious action could take
place.

Takitimu said politicians had all the necessary
information to tackle climate change. While scientists still
debated the exact temperature and sea level rises likely
over the next century, there were few unknowns regarding the
causes of climate change. “We know where it comes from,
what’s causing it, who’s causing it, and that it’s
repairable.”

However, politicians chose not to act so
as to maintain the status quo and please business interests.
“[Politics] is a dirty word for a reason. It’s
cluttering up a lot of stuff.”

Emphasising her status
as a prominent indigenous rights lawyer, Takitimu stressed
the special, longstanding connection of native people to
their land and the potential leadership role of Pacific
Islanders in combating climate change. “We can be early
reclaimers of a zero-emissions lifestyle … It’s
beautiful, it’s awesome, and we’re awesome.”

Takitimu also urged solidarity between Pacific Island
peoples, calling on them to reform their bond as “Tangaroa
people”. A lifestyle of “intergenerational equity” was
required to respect the land as the home of forbearers and
descendants alike. “Trust completely that we are worthy of
the hope of our grandchildren,” she said.

The climate
change discussion should shift towards resolutions – and
more radical ones than were contemplated even at last year's
Paris conference, Takitimu said. “Paris was out of date
before it was even signed. Extreme mitigation measures are
now required … the window for incremental reduction has
closed.”

Global climate change education was also
needed to inform people about the gravity of the issue and
the necessary action. “Climate change exists between the
ears of humanity … up here as a condition,” she said.
Correcting this condition meant spreading an understanding
that climate change was a threat to human survival. “They
talk about us being greenies and trying to save the planet
… no mate, we’re trying to save
you.”

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